Jesus said a lot of hard things.

In fact, more often than not, He would say things that caused people to take offense, or it would confuse them and yes...even drive ‘many’ away where they no longer walked with Him. (John 6:60,66)

And even at the risk of being misunderstood by those who were closest to Him, He still said things that were hard for people to grasp, let alone accept and embrace. Fortunately for some of those followers, who in those moments just didn’t ‘see it’, when asked if they too wanted to walk away, it was Simon Peter who looked at Jesus and replied: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68).

So Jesus kept on saying those hard things. And He meant what He said too. I worry that many fail to believe that, that Jesus meant what He said, because if we did believe all those things...we would ‘do’ them. What was it that Paul told Titus, that many would ‘profess to know Jesus, but by their actions ( or inactions) they would deny Him’ (Titus 1:16)?

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who ...do ...the will of My Father in heaven...” – Jesus (Matt. 7:21)

That’s what we were looking at in yesterday’s message: the importance of ‘doing’ those things, and there is nothing more important than ‘repenting’, which is the one word that pretty well sums up the Gospel message that Jesus came preaching (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15). And what happens, according to Jesus...if we fail to repent? (Luke 13:3,5). Do you think Jesus was bluffing there?

Here's an example of one of those ‘hard’ sayings that Jesus made when He was teaching the multitudes: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not... forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:14-15)

For anyone reading here today who believes in an ‘afterlife’, or more specifically...’heaven’, where followers of Jesus will spend eternity with God...do you think you will be granted entrance into this kingdom if you have not dealt with your own sins and sought God’s forgiveness? And what was the one condition that Jesus laid out there in that last statement regarding being forgiven by God of our ‘trespasses’ (sins)? I believe Jesus was pretty clear there when He tells us explicitly- ‘we have to forgive others’ (15).

In fact, if you are familiar with another lesson Jesus taught on forgiving others, He even specifies that we are to ‘forgive from our heart’ (Matt. 18:35)...’or else’; and that came with a sobering ‘warning’ (32-34).

Do I really need to explain why that was and is... a ‘hard saying’? Let me just tell you up front, I don’t know that I have personally ever been ‘hurt’ by any one person or set of circumstances that scarred me and brought severe, lasting pain in my life, in a way like so many other people in this world have experienced.

I’ve never been the victim of any form of child abuse, or neglect, or sexually assaulted in all my life. I’ve never been swindled where I lost great sums of money, maybe my life savings; nor have I seen my career ‘crash and burn’ because of the evil doings and actions of others who may have falsely maligned my name. I do not know what it is like to sit in a courtroom and have to watch and listen to another human who brutally took the life of a child...or spouse of mine, doing unspeakable things to them in the process.

So yes, I am reluctant at times to tell people...’hard things’, even though it is from God’s word. It can be easy to be flippant when it comes to tossing out verses and quotes like that to such people. And yet...there it is...in ‘red letters’. If we don’t ‘forgive those who have trespassed against us’...we’re in a heap of trouble. How could Jesus make such a statement like that? Doesn’t He know and understand that kind of pain? Forgiving others, and I mean truly forgiving from our hearts...is nearly impossible for so many people. Well, maybe ‘impossible for men but not for God' (Matt. 19:26).

And this is where I usually want to step up and ‘advise’ God on the risk of saying such ‘hard’ things. Jesus even tells us in the parable of the sower, that when anyone hears the word of God and doesn’t understand it...that the devil comes immediately to snatch that word from men’s hearts, lest they ‘believe and are saved’ (Matt. 13:19; Mark 4:15-16; Luke 8:12); so why set people up for that added danger?

Yet...Jesus continued to tell us hard things. Do you remember the point of exasperation felt by Nicodemus when he had his private meeting with Jesus? “Rabbi...how can these things be?” (John 3:9). Jesus was even asked by some who after hearing some ‘hard’ things: “Lord...are there only a few who will be saved?” (Luke 13:22-28)

We ‘seasoned believers’ can grow weary at times trying to be God’s ‘PR’ (public relations) spokesperson. It can sure be tempting to twist and dilute those hard sayings in an attempt to make them more palatable for those hearing them. And instead of speaking truth in love, we try to polish up God’s ‘image’ and affirm people by telling them things they want to hear, as opposed to what they ‘need’ to hear. (We were told this would happen as well 2 Tim. 4:3-4)  Yes...God loves you unconditionally. He ‘gets you’. He understands what it’s like to be human and suffer and struggle with the things us ‘fallen’ humans battle with throughout life. But we sidestep and avoid telling people what they need to hear so they might be ‘made well’ (John 5:6).

Take a look at Isaiah 30:15, where the people were told that in ‘repentance’ will you find rest for your soul...but ‘you were not willing’.

Friends...God never intended, nor does He expect any of us...to ‘do’ the things He commands us to do by 'trying harder'. He knows better...and He knows we are incapable of keeping His commands in our own strength or with our own ability. That is why He tell us after we ‘repent’...to ‘follow Him’ (Matt. 4:19)...so that He can empower us with His Spirit of grace to ‘do the things He says’. Look at Acts 3:19 one more time and underscore His promise to us if/when we truly ‘repent’...and come to Him with our whole heart.

Of course He ‘gets you’. And as I have said in times past, God is not out to ‘get you’, but He did indeed send Jesus... to ‘get you’...so that you might have abundant life and be made whole (John 10:10). Granted...that ‘condition’ He has laid down from the very beginning...this idea of coming to Him and loving Him with ‘all our heart’...that can be a ‘hard saying’ for many as well. But who else out there has the words to eternal life?